New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said Monday that the Islamic community center and mosque scheduled to be built several blocks from Ground Zero in New York City is being used as a 'political football.'

(CNN) – Republican Gov. Chris Christie made clear on Monday what he thinks of the political fight over an Islamic community center and mosque set to be established a few blocks from New York's Ground Zero.

"What offends me the most about all this is that it's being used by a political football by both parties," Christie told reporters. "[It] just further drives people apart, and creates divisions, and I think that's bad for our country."

"We have to acknowledge, respect and give some measure of deference to the feelings of the family members who lost there loved ones there that day," the New Jersey governor said. "But it would be wrong to so overreact to that, that we paint Islam with a brush of radical Muslim extremists that just want to kill Americans because we are Americans. But beyond that...I am not going to get into it, because I would be guilty of candidly what I think some Republicans are guilty of, and the President is now the president is guilty of, of playing politics with this issue, and I simply am not going to do it."

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Mike, Albany

Yes, they have the right to put up a mosque on Private near ground zero. But maybe they could be just a little more sensitive to the families of 9/11 victims and not insist on building it at ground zero. I wonder if this thought ever crossed their minds.

I see the gov point, but still I think it is ok to built the islamic center and help the moderate muslims to define themself from the radical once by stoping steryotyping that all Muslims hate American whichs not true.